Brussels by winter and by summer

Last time we’ve been into this city, it was freezing cold outside, our plane barely took off (14 hours later than originally booked) and the tickets were much cheaper.

Now, more than half a year apart, lots of stuff has happened: we’ve bought and renovated an apartment, made a baby (well, the last one is still in the oven but it still counts), even the friends we’re staying at have increased their family.

So, Brussels in winter is clean, white, cold and allows you to drink 17 kinds of beer in 5 days.

The buildings were impressive: Justice Palace, Maison du Roi, all old cathedrals and churches, very well preserved and maintained.

Manneken Pis – a little disappointing, as I was expecting a much bigger statue, or at least not so hidden within the city’s mingled streets.

Mainly in Brugge but not only, the street vendors were everywhere, selling from clothing pieces, overpriced Christmas decorations to hot sausages and mulled wine and beer. Just enough to make you enter the holiday spirit ;)

It wouldn’t be Belgium if chocolate wasn’t present: in every form, shape or flavor that you can imagine. Still, the Brusseleers are pretty thin so maybe the beer and chocolate are just for tourists?

Fortunately we have the chance to compare all these goodies in the summertime.
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Well, Brussels by summer looks more like a city in late fall or early spring. The temperatures barely went to 18 Celsius; it rained a lot and the visitors did not crowd the streets like in the winter.

Maybe it was just bad luck for us but we barely saw sunshine in the three days we've spent there.

However, a very pleasant surprise was the city of Ghent that seemed to me even prettier than Bruges. These two are similar in the way all small streets were converging to the main plaza and all the old buildings beautifully preserved were bearing small shops / restaurants inviting you in at every corner. But Ghent seemed a little more spacious, maybe the streets were a bit larger. Its history is impressive as well, until the 13th century Ghent was the biggest city in Europe after Paris; it was bigger than London, Cologne or Moscow.

All in all the short trip to Brussels was worth it in the summertime but if I have to choose, next time I’ll try spring or fall, who knows, maybe there’s more colour hidden somewhere waiting to be discovered.